"I look forward to working closely with Dennis on the range of urgent environmental issues we face, in region 10 and across the nation," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "At this moment of great challenge and even greater opportunity, I'm thrilled that Dennis will be part of our leadership team at EPA. He will certainly play an instrumental role in our Agency's mission to protect our health and the environment."

Regional Administrators are responsible for managing the Agency’s regional activities under the direction of the EPA Administrator. They promote state and local environmental protection efforts and serve as a liaison to state and local government officials. Regional Administrators are tasked with ensuring EPA's efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values: science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law, and transparency.

Dennis J. McLerran has over 20 years experience as an advocate, attorney and administrator. Most recently, McLerran served as Executive Director of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, a state chartered regional agency that adopts and enforces air quality standards that protect the health of 3.5 million Washington residents. As executive director, McLerran led the development of an innovative strategy to reduce emissions at the ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Metro Vancouver. Prior to that, McLerran served as City Attorney for the City of Port Townsend and Director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Land Use. McLerran received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a J.D. from the Seattle University School of Law.